Hawaii - Jeff Campbell [269]
Taxi
Companies with service throughout the island include Royal Sedan & Taxi Service ( 874-6900) and Sunshine Cabs of Maui ( 879-2220).
Tours
A handful of tour bus companies operate half-day and full-day sightseeing tours on Maui. Roberts Hawaii ( 866-898-2591; www.roberts-hawaii.com; tours from $60-100), a giant among Hawaiian tour companies, typically offers the best prices and most variety. The most popular routes include day-long jaunts to Hana and a Haleakalā sunrise trip that takes in many of the Upcountry’s sights. Polynesian Adventure Tours ( 877-4242, 800-622-3011; www.polyad.com; tours from $70-100) is the other big player and offers similar tours.
DRIVING DIS TANCES & TIMES
Average driving times and distances from Kahului are as follows. Allow more time in the morning and late afternoon rush hours.
You’ll pay a bit more but family-run Ekahi Tours ( 877-9775, 888-292-2422; www.ekahi.com; tours $95-135) offers similar runs with more local flavor and less canned commentary. Best of all it takes a deeper cultural slant on places visited, so you end up with more than just snapshots.
LAHAINA
pop 18,000
When you’re ready for action, spring over to Lahaina. Wander its bustling streets awash with whaling-era sights, art galleries and trendy shops. Saunter down to the insanely picturesque harbor and hop on a catamaran for a whale watching cruise. Getting hungry? Some of Maui’s top chef-driven restaurants line the shoreline vying for your attention. And the nightlife, while not exactly ripping, is nonetheless the island’s hottest. Lahaina is a lot of things: touristy, yes; overly commercial, perhaps; busy, always. But you will never be bored.
HISTORY
In ancient times Lahaina housed a royal court for high chiefs and it was the breadbasket – or, more accurately, the breadfruit basket – of west Maui. After Kamehameha the Great unified the islands he chose Lahaina as his base, and the capital remained there until 1845. The first Christian missionaries arrived in the 1820s and within a decade Hawaii’s first stone church, first missionary school and first printing press were all in place in Lahaina.
* * *
MAUI ITINERARIES
In Two Days
Start day one strolling the old whaling town of Lahaina (opposite), follow it with an afternoon whale watching cruise, then cap it off with a sunset dinner at one of Lahaina’s fine waterfront restaurants. Still got jet lag? Good. On day two set the alarm early for the drive to Haleakalā National Park (Click here) to catch a breathtaking sunrise and hike into the crater. On the way back, stop in Pa′ia (Click here) for Maui’s hippest café and shopping scene and to check on the surf action at Ho′okipa Beach (Click here).
In Four Days
Plan your first two days as above. Day three winds past waterfalls galore on the most legendary drive in all Hawaii, the wildly beautiful Road to Hana (Click here). It’s going to be a big day – start early, bring a bathing suit and a sense of adventure. Day four is all about those gorgeous beaches. Begin by snorkeling with turtles at Malu′aka Beach (Click here), followed by a picnic at magnificent Big Beach (Click here). In the afternoon pop by ′Iao Valley State Park (Click here) to ogle central Maui’s emerald gem, and then head over to Kanaha Beach (Click here) for the sailboarding scene.
For Waterbabies
If you like your adventures wet, Maui dishes up the ultimate. Start with a plunge at Molokini Crater (Click here) for dazzling snorkeling and diving. When you’re ready to dip a paddle, launch your kayak at dolphin-rich Makena Landing (Click here). For a taste of extreme sports, island style, try your hand kitesurfing at Kite Beach (Click here) and windsurfing at nearby Kanaha Beach (Click here). The adventure continues for bodysurfers in the smashing breaks of DT Fleming Beach (Click here) and Big Beach (Click here). What about surfing, you say. It takes newbies just two hours to be up and riding with lessons in Lahaina (Click here). Surf pros head north to Honolua Bay (Click here) for monster waves.